Saxitoxin (STX) is a potent neurotoxin that occurs in aquatic environments worldwide and has significant economic, environmental and human health impacts. Ingestion of vector species can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning, a severe human illness that may lead to paralysis and death. An estimated 2000 cases of human paralytic shellfish poisoning, with a mortality rate of 15%, occur globally each year. The costs of monitoring and mitigation of STX have led to an annual economic loss from harmful plankton blooms calculated at US $895 million. In freshwater environments, STX is predominantly produced prokaryotic cyanobacteria. However, in marine environments eukaryotic dinoflagellates have been associated with the presence of STX. Despite the association of a number of dinoflagellate species with STX production, the genetic basis for the production of STX in these microorganisms remains elusive.
There is a need for methods to detect the presence (or absence) of STX-producing dinoflagellates in marine samples.